The word "crack" in warez context means the action of removing the copy protection from commercial software. A crack is a program, set of instructions or patch used to remove copy protection from a piece of software or to unlock features from a demo or time-limited trial. Sometimes a person will write a crack to show
that they are smarter than the copy protection scheme. There are also crack groups who work together in order to crack the software. When you search for a full version warez download, you will often see the word crack amongst the results, which implies it is the full unrestricted version of the product.

WHAT IS A SERIAL?

The word "serial" in warez context means a unique number which identifies the license of the software as being valid. All retail software uses a serial number of some type, and the installation requires the user to enter a valid serial number to continue. A serial number can also be referred to as a "CD Key". The main purpose of verifying a serial number is to avoid counterfeit keys.

WHAT IS A KEYGEN?

The word "keygen" means a small program that will generate a cd key, serial number, activation number, license code or registration number for a piece of software. Keygen is short for Key Generator. A keygen is made available through crack groups for free download. When writing a keygen, the author will identify the algorithm used in creating a valid cd key. Once the algorithm is identified they can then incorporate this into the keygen.